Promotion Framework
Purchasing Department
At FANUC, as a point of contact with our suppliers, Purchasing Department gathers information on the quality, delivery time, and cost, while internally sharing information in a timely manner. Regarding CSR Procurement Policy and conflict minerals, Purchasing Department, together with Research & Development Divisions, requires our suppliers to comply with the reduction and elimination of harmful substances contained in products.
The Purchasing Department cooperates with Research & Development Divisions and Production Divisions to actively promote the use of multiple suppliers to reduce supply chain risks. In addition, with regard to parts (especially customized parts) that have only one supplier, the Department works to maintain an appropriate level of inventory even during ordinary times, so that in the event of a disaster, these parts will be secured until the supplier's factory recovers.
FANUC takes appropriate measures against supply chain risks in the event of a disaster. The SCRM Working Group studies the location and area of the manufacturing facilities for each part, so as to immediately determine which suppliers may have been impacted, in the event of a disaster. This data has assisted us greatly in securing service parts that became difficult to obtain due to the impact of COVID-19.
In addition, with the cooperation of our suppliers, the Group has built and is operating a system (automatic email transmission) to investigate the safety of suppliers' employees, as well as whether factories and other facilities have been damaged in the event of a disaster (an earthquake with an intensity of 5 or greater, etc.). The Group also investigates and analyzes our suppliers' efforts toward BCP, and urges suppliers to make improvements, when deemed necessary.
Once it had established mechanisms for scheduling the above activities on an annual basis and updating the information every year, and created a manual for each activity.
Due to the rapid increase in demand starting in 2020, the procurement of various parts, including semiconductors, was in a critical state. We established an Emergency Countermeasures Working Group with the Purchasing Department, Research & Development Division, and Production Division, and the entire company worked together to negotiate parts procurement, purchase market items, adopt alternative parts, and replace production processes, etc. to ensure that production could continue at a high level.
Disaster Response Team
In the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, the Purchasing Department conducts automatic email transmission (as described above). It also identifies suppliers that may have suffered damage based on factory location information it has studied in advance, and confirms their status.
In particular, in the event of a large-scale disaster, the Disaster Response Team initiates its activities in cases where the supply chain is deemed to have been seriously damaged. The Disaster Response Team comprises personnel selected in advance from each research & development division, each production department, and the Purchasing Department. These personnel work together to grasp the status of suppliers, confirm the delivery time of parts, and take supplementary measures for parts difficult to obtain.
In response to the turmoil in the supply chain caused by the impact of COVID-19, we established a Disaster Response Team and took various measures to ensure smooth supply of our products to customers.